A Caution Light

The TELLS Test results are a reality. It is a fact that a percentage of the Allentown School District children, Grades 3, 5 and 8, need remedial assistance in reading and math.

Is the TELLS Test a public relations device by state administrators? Should the test results from Allentown be compared with Bethlehem, Easton, etc.? Are we a distinct district, with characteristics unique only to Allentown? Are these the kinds of questions the Allentown School District should be asking? I believe not. The question is: Can each child in this district read and compute at his or her highest level?

The Allentown School District has been known for being a good school system. And it still is today. The TELLS results can be viewed as a caution light to us all. If this district needs to take a closer look at itself, then let's get started now. There is always room for making a good system even better. The TELLS Test, with its built-in human fallibility, is simply a yardstick, another measuring tool. Let it be used in a positive manner to gain the best education for all of the students in Allentown.